Posted by Emily Exton on 08/02/2011 at 4:56 PM News

The Popdust Files: broadway, darren criss, glee

There is life outside of Lima, Ohio. The newest Glee series regular Darren Criss will star in the updated production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying on Broadway, show organizers confirmed on Monday. Criss will be replacing Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch, joining Tony Award winner John Larroquette and Tammy Blanchard from January 3 to 22. Might as well start those Harry Potter jokes now, as Criss initially rose to Internet fame years before Glee, thanks to his cult-hit A Very Potter Musical, which he created with his performing group StarKid Productions while a student at the University of Michigan, portraying The Boy Who Lived himself.

As Blaine Anderson, lead singer of the Warblers and boyfriend to Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Criss has shown of both his singing and dancing abilities, fitting more than enough charm into those finely pressed Dalton suits than needed for smooth-talking, ladder-climbing Finch. While three weeks on Broadway will be three weeks away from the McKinley set, at least Criss’ presence on the Great White Way has the potential to do for Frank Loesser what he did for Katy Perry. (Kids need to learn their Broadway history somewhere.) For Criss to be making his stage debut in the high-profile revival signifies that many cast members aside from The Big Three are not only ready to flee Ryan Murphy’s dramatic coop, but viewed as highly desirable—and profitable—individual performers. There’s been flirtation with solo albums and movie projects, but this latest project outside of the Glee world paired with daily gossip updates could mean the end is nigh.

But don’t start crying just yet. This is happy news (for Darren). And now that the Glee tour has wrapped, Criss will have some time to learn the lyrics and choreography to Loesser’s classic show. But something tells us he’s already quite familiar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAlkS2P3JA4